If you’ve ever tried to find a financial adviser that aligns with your goals, listens to you, and fits your budget, you know just how tough it can be. What questions are you supposed to ask to figure out if they’re a good match? Does your financial situation even warrant consulting a financial adviser? If questions like that have crossed your mind, Money Pickle might be for you.
The online financial adviser matching service uses a short quiz about your financial situation and goals to match you with one of the vetted third-party advisers they work with.
From there, you can schedule a free consultation to meet your match for a video call at a time that works for you. Use that free call to get personalized, professional advice about your finances, find out if their services are a good fit for you, or get a second opinion on recommendations from your current financial adviser.
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Unlike other matching services, your free consultation isn’t a sales pitch and there’s no obligation to sign a long-term contract with the financial adviser you matched. Instead, you can use the 45 minutes to get professional advice on whatever “Money Pickle” you find yourself in.
So, how effective is Money Pickle at making the financial adviser search less complicated and intimidating? I took a look at the matching process to find out.
What is Money Pickle?
Money Pickle is a platform designed to make finding and talking to a financial adviser as intuitive and unintimidating as possible. To start, you answer a series of questions about your financial situation, including things like household income, current investments, and what your key financial goals are, so you can be paired with a financial adviser specializing in retirement, tax optimization, estate planning or whatever your top priorities are. There is also a section for you to write in your own thoughts or notes that you want your potential adviser match to know.
After answering the 10 or so questions about your finances, you’ll be automatically matched with a financial adviser from Money Pickle’s network of third-party advisers. From there, you’ll be able to select a date and time for a free consultation that’s convenient for you. The appointment confirmation along with a link to the video chat will be emailed to you.
That’s it. While other matching services send you a short list of potential matches, they typically leave you with the legwork of actually figuring out which one is the best fit. Money Pickle takes all the guesswork out of it – while still giving you the option to rematch with someone else if you’re not satisfied with your first match.
Money Pickle also stands out for its no-obligation consultations. The 45 minute call you book isn’t a high pressure sales pitch or an interview process to decide if you want to hire that adviser. Instead, it’s a chance to get free, one-on-one advice from a thoroughly vetted financial adviser.
Do you already have a financial adviser but want to get a second opinion on that IRA rollover they just recommended? Use Money Pickle to book a free consultation and get another adviser’s professional opinion about it. It’s also a good way to feel out your options if you’re not happy with your current adviser but not ready to commit to switching to someone new.
For those who have never worked with an adviser before, Money Pickle is also a good place to start. If you’re not sure you even need one or how an adviser would fit your current situation, get matched with a pro on Money Pickle.
Use the free consultation to get your most pressing questions answered and get a feel for how a financial adviser might help you with your specific financial goals and concerns.
The benefits of Money Pickle’s adviser matching service
There are many benefits to the way Money Pickle’s financial adviser matching service works. Here are some of the key advantages to consider:
- No strings attached consultations: You can book a free 45 minute consultation, even if you’re not sure you’re ready to hire a financial adviser yet.
- Real, personalized financial advice: The free consultation is not an interview, it’s a chance to get real financial advice about your actual financial questions. Whether you decide you want to work with the adviser long-term or not, you’ll walk away from the consultation with actionable insights into your situation.
- Easy matching process: Just answer a few quick questions about your financial situation and get instantly matched with a pro. Instead of a list of possible matches you need to follow up with, Money Pickle automatically pairs you with one adviser.
- Rematch with other pros until you find the right fit: If you met with your original match and didn’t feel like it was a good fit, you can easily book a rematch. Just provide Money Pickle with some feedback after the consultation and the platform will use that to refine the search and match you with someone new.
- Access to thoroughly vetted advisers: All third-party advisers on Money Pickle meet the app’s rigorous qualification requirements, have at least five years of experience and have maintained a clean history on BrokerCheck.
Important considerations about using Money Pickle
While Money Pickle is easy to use and comes with no obligation to hire the financial adviser you match with, there are some key considerations to think about before booking a free consultation.
- You can’t filter advisers by fee structure: The initial quiz you go through to get matched doesn’t ask about your preferred fee structure, so you can’t filter out pros whose fees might not be a fit for you.
- You can’t browse a directory of advisers: For those who’d prefer to choose their own match, Money Pickle might feel a little constraining. While rematching is possible, you don’t get to choose an adviser yourself from Money Pickle’s pool of third-party advisers.
- Virtual meetings only: Money Pickle allows you to book video chats or phone calls only with your match. For those who are more comfortable meeting in person, that might be an inconvenience.
Should you use Money Pickle to find a financial adviser?
Money Pickle’s no obligation matching service is a flexible and easy-to-use tool for just about anyone. While you might be limited in who you match with and how you meet, there’s really no risk in booking a free consultation.
The free, virtual meeting can be a good way to get one-time help with a specific financial question, seek out second opinions on a financial move you’re considering or get a sense of what working with a financial adviser is actually like so you can decide if it’s worth hiring one.
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